Read Online The Shadow at Greystone Chase (An Angela Marchmont Mystery Book 10) by Clara Benson - Free Book Online
Authors: Clara Benson
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Carstairs, who’d drawn the short finger-nail. Lucky for the rest of us too, as we didn’t much fancy eating him. Far too stringy.’
‘Goodness me!’ gasped Miss Atkinson.
‘The second trip went much more smoothly, though,’ continued Freddy. ‘We met a tribe of Eskimos and they took rather a liking to us, and helped us with supplies. Terribly friendly, the Eskimo people. They lead a simple life which looks very attractive to us jaded city-dwellers. I was almost tempted to join them, but I’m not especially fond of raw fish, and so in the end I was forced to bid them a regretful farewell.’
He then proceeded to demonstrate how to build an igloo using cubes from the sugar-bowl. Mrs. Hudd and Miss Atkinson watched with rapt attention and exclaimed. Luckily they did not notice Angela, who was regarding Freddy through narrowed eyes.
‘Shall you be staying here at the hotel, Mr. Wells?’ said Mrs. Hudd at last, once it had been demonstrated beyond all doubt that sugar-cubes did not stick together in the same way as packed snow.
‘Yes, I expect I shall be here for a day or two. Mother is always so pleased to see me, aren’t you, old thing?’ he said affectionately to Angela, who nodded brightly and smiled. ‘Now, I’ll bet you ladies know all the best places to visit, don’t you? I shall expect you to show me around the place tomorrow. No excuses, now.’
Mrs. Hudd and Miss Atkinson fluttered and giggled, and said they should be delighted.
Angela now rose from her seat.
‘Come and see the view from the top of the cliff, darling,’ she said, in a voice which suggested that Freddy would be well advised to stand at a safe distance from the edge.
‘Oh, certainly, what?’ said Freddy. He stood up and bowed ceremoniously to his two new acquaintances. ‘Until tomorrow,’ he said, and allowed Angela to propel him firmly towards the door and out into the street.
‘ What are you doing here?’ snapped Angela as soon as they were out of sight of the hotel. ‘Have you quite taken leave of your senses?’
‘I was going to ask the same thing of you,’ said Freddy.
‘Never mind that,’ said Angela. ‘How did you know I was here?’
‘William told me.’
‘What?’ said Angela. ‘What on earth was he thinking? How dare he?’
‘Don’t be cross with him,’ said Freddy. ‘I rather wheedled it out of him. I just dropped in to see how you were and found that you and Marthe had gone off somewhere without him. He knew where you’d gone but didn’t want to say, but I saw he was worried and kept on at him until he told me. As soon as he did I hopped on a train and here I am.’
‘Yes, here you are, and as you can see I’m in excellent health, so you can jolly well hop on another train back to London as soon as you like, and stop all this silly nonsense,’ said Angela.
‘I know what you’re doing, Angela,’ he said, ‘and I don’t like it.’
Angela said nothing, but looked away.
‘You oughtn’t to be here,’ he said. ‘I don’t know why you let yourself be talked into it in the first place, but you must see that nothing good can come of it.’
Angela set her jaw stubbornly, but still did not reply.
‘William isn’t the only one who’s worried about you,’ he went on. ‘So am I. And I dare say Marthe is too.’
‘You needn’t bother,’ said Angela. ‘I’m perfectly all right.’
‘Rot,’ said Freddy. ‘No-one could possibly be all right after what happened to you. I’d be a nervous wreck if it were I.’
‘Well, I’m not,’ said Angela sharply. She saw that he was about to speak again and went on, ‘Look, you may as well save your breath. I said I would do this and do it I shall.’
‘But it won’t do you any good,’ said Freddy.
‘I dare say it won’t, but that doesn’t matter. I’m under an obligation and I must discharge it, or I shall never be easy. Now, if you don’t want to make me cross you’ll stop talking about it.’
Freddy regarded her, his
‘Goodness me!’ gasped Miss Atkinson.
‘The second trip went much more smoothly, though,’ continued Freddy. ‘We met a tribe of Eskimos and they took rather a liking to us, and helped us with supplies. Terribly friendly, the Eskimo people. They lead a simple life which looks very attractive to us jaded city-dwellers. I was almost tempted to join them, but I’m not especially fond of raw fish, and so in the end I was forced to bid them a regretful farewell.’
He then proceeded to demonstrate how to build an igloo using cubes from the sugar-bowl. Mrs. Hudd and Miss Atkinson watched with rapt attention and exclaimed. Luckily they did not notice Angela, who was regarding Freddy through narrowed eyes.
‘Shall you be staying here at the hotel, Mr. Wells?’ said Mrs. Hudd at last, once it had been demonstrated beyond all doubt that sugar-cubes did not stick together in the same way as packed snow.
‘Yes, I expect I shall be here for a day or two. Mother is always so pleased to see me, aren’t you, old thing?’ he said affectionately to Angela, who nodded brightly and smiled. ‘Now, I’ll bet you ladies know all the best places to visit, don’t you? I shall expect you to show me around the place tomorrow. No excuses, now.’
Mrs. Hudd and Miss Atkinson fluttered and giggled, and said they should be delighted.
Angela now rose from her seat.
‘Come and see the view from the top of the cliff, darling,’ she said, in a voice which suggested that Freddy would be well advised to stand at a safe distance from the edge.
‘Oh, certainly, what?’ said Freddy. He stood up and bowed ceremoniously to his two new acquaintances. ‘Until tomorrow,’ he said, and allowed Angela to propel him firmly towards the door and out into the street.
‘ What are you doing here?’ snapped Angela as soon as they were out of sight of the hotel. ‘Have you quite taken leave of your senses?’
‘I was going to ask the same thing of you,’ said Freddy.
‘Never mind that,’ said Angela. ‘How did you know I was here?’
‘William told me.’
‘What?’ said Angela. ‘What on earth was he thinking? How dare he?’
‘Don’t be cross with him,’ said Freddy. ‘I rather wheedled it out of him. I just dropped in to see how you were and found that you and Marthe had gone off somewhere without him. He knew where you’d gone but didn’t want to say, but I saw he was worried and kept on at him until he told me. As soon as he did I hopped on a train and here I am.’
‘Yes, here you are, and as you can see I’m in excellent health, so you can jolly well hop on another train back to London as soon as you like, and stop all this silly nonsense,’ said Angela.
‘I know what you’re doing, Angela,’ he said, ‘and I don’t like it.’
Angela said nothing, but looked away.
‘You oughtn’t to be here,’ he said. ‘I don’t know why you let yourself be talked into it in the first place, but you must see that nothing good can come of it.’
Angela set her jaw stubbornly, but still did not reply.
‘William isn’t the only one who’s worried about you,’ he went on. ‘So am I. And I dare say Marthe is too.’
‘You needn’t bother,’ said Angela. ‘I’m perfectly all right.’
‘Rot,’ said Freddy. ‘No-one could possibly be all right after what happened to you. I’d be a nervous wreck if it were I.’
‘Well, I’m not,’ said Angela sharply. She saw that he was about to speak again and went on, ‘Look, you may as well save your breath. I said I would do this and do it I shall.’
‘But it won’t do you any good,’ said Freddy.
‘I dare say it won’t, but that doesn’t matter. I’m under an obligation and I must discharge it, or I shall never be easy. Now, if you don’t want to make me cross you’ll stop talking about it.’
Freddy regarded her, his
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